Things Are Never Quite the Same
by CaptainMalcolmReynolds
Summary: Chat Noir is hurt, is it Ladybug's fault? Plus, Nino has a big mouth. Reveals all around.
1. Chapter 1

**Welcome to my brain! I don't own Miraculous Ladybug. (Oh that I did!) Thank you to HoldTightAndPretendItIsAPlan for giving me the kick in the rear to put this out there... even if this isn't the one you were expecting!**

"Miraculous Ladybug!"

Throwing the pepper grinder into the air, Ladybug watched as her swarm of magical beetles put to rights all the havoc that the akumatized victim had wrought. She turned to her partner for their traditional fist bump, but was distressed to see Chat Noir cradling what appeared to be a badly broken arm.

She ran to him as he gave her a dazed smile, and slowly collapsed. Diving, Ladybug caught her partner before he hit the ground, cradling him protectively, only to he met by the sound of her earrings, and his ring, chirping their warning. Chat really needed the hospital, but she couldn't take him transformed, there would be too much explaining for both of them. She needed a safe place to leave him. Looking around, Ladybug realized she was only a few streets from her friend Nino's house. He was the protector of their hero group, kind and caring, and as Carapace, he knew a thing or two about keeping secrets.

Gingerly lifting Chat, Ladybug swung them over a few rooftops to land on the Lahiffe's balcony, peering inside. When she saw only Nino, with his headphones off, she tapped gently at the window. He jumped and spun to face her, but upon seeing Ladybug, gripping an unconscious Chat Noir in her arms, he ran to the window, threw it open, and stepped back, allowing Ladybug to carry her partner inside. She set him gently down on the couch, her hand automatically scratching his head by his kitty ears, whether to comfort him or herself, Nino couldn't tell.

"Nino, he's hurt, and we are both about to transform back." Worry lines etched themselves into Ladybug's expression. "I trust you. I need you to take Chat's civilian self to the hospital. You will see who he is, but that can't be helped right now… medical treatment is much more important. He needs help, and could probably use a friend. I don't know if you will know him, or if he will have a wallet or anything that says his real name, but I know that you can help."

"You can count on me, Ladybug".

"I will check in with you as soon as I can, I hope tonight, but there are things I need to do, to find out first," her earrings let out their penultimate beep, and she strode towards the window. "Thank you, Nino. Bug out."

Ladybug stepped out onto the balcony, and swung herself down the street. Nino watched her for a moment, then turned and looked at the prone body of Chat Noir laying on his couch. A few seconds, and one last mournful chirp later, a flash of green light flooded the room. Nino turned away, until he heard an agonized moan. He spun back towards the couch to stare down at the body of his best friend: Adrien Agreste.

"Dude" breathed Nino.

"Cheese!" A small black figure demanded, as it hovered a few inches above Adrien's (CHAT'S!) chest.

"Huh?"

"I'm Plagg, and I need cheese to restore my energy" grumbled Plagg. "And Adrien probably should see a doctor soon."

That snapped Nino out of his shock. His best friend was Chat Noir, and Chat Noir needed Nino. He snatched some cheese from the fridge, and called an ambulance, telling them that his friend had been caught in an Akuma attack and needed help, which was technically not a lie. He decided he would let the hospital notify Adrien's father… Gabriel Agreste was not someone he wanted to give bad news to.

As Nino waited for the ambulance, he had a few minutes to stop and wonder. He knew he'd been injured in akuma attacks before, as had Rena Rouge, his girlfriend Alya. Neither of them carried so much as a scar. He'd seen the way that Chat Noir was often thrown around in fights, as he dove in to distract the akumatized, or to protect Ladybug, but he'd never even seen a strange bruise on Adrien, either. (Thinking about Adrien as Chat Noir was really odd, but getting easier). He didn't know Ladybug's identity, but he'd never noticed her limping from past battle wounds, even after fighting back to back Akumas. Miraculous Ladybug always seemed to heal them, as well as Paris… so why had it not worked on Chat today?

"Why didn't it work?" Marinette cried to Master Fu, as she paced around his shop. "It has always worked! Why is Chat still hurt? Why wouldn't I fix him? This is all my fault!" She slumped to the ground, tears streaming down her face."

"Miraculous Ladybug has never been perfect or complete", admitted Master Fu, stroking his goatee. "The more you are consciously aware of, the more will be repaired, but there are always small marks left behind; scars on a healing city. Nothing can ever revert back to exactly the way it was before. This usually manifests as a car with a flat tire, a broken window in an office building, or there was the case with the last Ladybug of the purple elephant." Master Fu trailed off.

"But Chat is still hurt", was Marinette's anguished response.

"Marinette. If you tear a dress, and you sew it back together, is it ever exactly the same? Healing skin can often leave scars. If you break a plate, you can glue it back together, but it is never quite the same. Arguments can tear a friendship. Apologies repair it, but the feelings are still there. Nothing is ever exactly the way that it once was, this is the way of the world, no matter how much we may wish it otherwise. Chat Noir being hurt was in no way your fault, he was just unlucky enough to be the element that was missed this time."

After another cup of tea for Marinette, and some sweet treats for Tikki, provided by Wayzz, Marinette was calm enough to leave Master Fu's place without hyperventilating or bursting into tears. She wandered home in a daze, and it wasn't until after she reached the bakery, that she realized she had several messages on her phone. Glancing down curiously, she realized they were from Nino. "Oh! He must be letting me know about Chat Noir!" She thought. Then, "Wait! He knows who I am? How?"

Squeaking, Marinette dropped her phone and proceeded to hyperventilate for a few minutes, until Tikki was able to talk her down. Between bites of cookie, Tikki pointed out that Nino was her friend, and he often texted her. They talked about homework, music, Alya and Adrien, and a thousand other topics. Just because she had interacted with Nino as Ladybug earlier in the day, did not mean he was texting Ladybug now.

Taking a deep breath, Marinette looked at her phone, and exhaled on a sigh of relief. 28 missed messages, but in a group chat with Nino, Alya and Adrien. Nino had left the last message, which is why his name had shown up. Realizing that there would be many more messages if Nino had mentioned Chat Noir, Marinette was almost smiling as she opened the group text.

Nino: Guys, bad news. Adrien got caught in the Akuma Attack. I ran into him a street away from my house. He's currently in the hospital.

Alya: What happened? Doesn't Miraculous Ladybug usually fix everything?

Nino: I don't know what happened. I called the ambulance, and he's in surgery right now.

The phone dropped from Marinette's nerveless fingers, but she didn't notice. Why had Nino taken Adrien to the hospital? What had happened to Chat Noir? How could both of her favorite boys be hurt? But what if… she looked at Tikki, who was watching her, having read the messages from the phone on the floor. Taking a shaky breath, she thought about all the similarities between the two boys, really thought about it. Yes, they were similar in appearance, but when Chat turned serious, or nervous, she'd seen many of Adrien's mannerisms. Dropping heavily into her desk chair, she looked at her friend, "Tikki? Is, could, no. Yes! Is Chat Noir… Adrien?"

"You know I can't answer that Marinette, but what do your instincts tell you? Trust yourself."

Marinette's phone starting ringing, and she let out a little shriek, as Tikki giggled. Glancing at the screen, she saw that it was Alya, and with trembling fingers, she reached to answer it.

"Hey girl! Have you seen your messages?"

"Y-yes. I just looked at them. What happened?"

"We aren't sure", Alya admitted, "We're at the hospital right now. You should come down here."

Knowing that she needed some extra time to process what had been a day of revelations, as well as time to regain her equilibrium, Marinette hedged. "It has been a very busy day, uh, in the bakery, and my parents need me here for a while. Uh, I don't know if I can, but you will let me know how he's doing, right?"

Internally, she was freaking out Chat is Adrien… Adrien is Chat! He's hurt and he won't want me there. I can't visit him as Ladybug, everyone would know. What if everyone already knows? Who saw that Chat was hurt? I can't go. People would know. It would be weird, and he would hate me. He probably already hates me. I couldn't fix him. I can't do it. I can't go as Marinette. I can't handle it, and he wouldn't want Marinette there, anyway.

Alya sighed, "I can hear you panicking girl. Just come by when you can. We'll be here. He won't be out of surgery for a while yet, anyway."

"I-I can do that. I'll bring some cookies."


	2. Chapter 2

**Sadly, nobody gifted me with the rights to Miraculous Ladybug over the weekend. *sigh***

**Here is Chapter 2... in which Adrien has a pity party, and Alya crashes it. **

Adrien opened his eyes and looked around the unfamiliar room. The only thing he recognized was Nathalie who leaned forward and patted his hand, uncomfortably.

"My father?"

"He already left. He did come by and talk to the doctor, which threw his schedule off, and he is now unable to leave on his trip to Milan until tomorrow." Nathalie sighed as Adrien's shoulders slumped. "However, your friends are waiting for you outside. I will send them in shortly. As far as your medical issues, you have a broken arm, several cracked ribs and a pulmonary contusion. Obviously fencing is out for the foreseeable future, and any photoshoots have been cancelled until your body is no longer marred. Your father is less than pleased about having to rearrange those, and will discuss tightened security with you going forward."

"Of course. Thank you, Nathalie."

Nathalie almost smiled as she gave his hand a final pat. "I will send your friends in to see you. Please don't let them tire you out."

Adrien smiled wanly. "I won't. Thank you, Nathalie."

Out in the waiting room, Nino and Alya were speaking softly to each other. Nathalie entered and approached them. "He is awake. One visitor at a time, and don't tire him out." She looks at the two of them. "Where's his designer friend?" Alya smiled. "She's working at her parent's bakery today, and will be by later, when she can."

Nathalie nodded once and left. Alya and Nino looked at each other. "Babe, I'm going in first," said Nino. "There are some things I want to talk about with my bro." With that, he hurried off to Adrien's room.

"Hey dude. How are you doing?" Nino asked, tentatively.

"Sore", muttered Adrien. "Everything hurts."

"I'll bet" Nino shuffled nervously. "Bro. Oh man. How to... Dude… what's the last thing that you remember?"

It was Adrien's turn to look nervous. The last thing he remembered was being Chat Noir, and Ladybug walking towards him, fist extended, but he couldn't exactly explain that to Nino, so he hedged a bit. "Well, uh, there was the Akuma, and some bricks were falling, and, uh, I must have been too close." He trailed off.

Nino gave him a considering look, then decided to help him out. "Well, let me tell you what I know, and that might help you a bit, Bro. I'm also going to tell you some stuff I shouldn't, but I really kinda need to do it now, so I'm going to say it anyway. I'll tell her and she can be mad at me later." He took a deep breath, and in one exhalation said, "Ladybug brought an unconscious Chat Noir to house, as they were both about change back to their civilian selves, and I live close to the Akuma attack area and could have come across an "unconscious civilian" afterwards."

Nino held up both his hands because he could tell that Adrien was about to interrupt. "Just listen, OK. Ladybug trusts me because, well, because I'm Carapace. She knows who I am, but I don't know who she is. And I'm good with that. I feel better that you know, too."

Adrien gasped as his eyes shot up to meet his best friend's.

Nino chuckled. "Yeah, surprised me, too, when Ladybug asked me. She gave me the miraculous when I was trying to save Alya and Chat Noir…you, I guess… from Ananzi." He grinned. "Rena's here for you, too… but that's for her to tell. She only knows that it's you, Adrien, not you, Chat, that was hurt. Man, that's cool to say. UH… that you're Chat Noir… not that you're hurt."

"Does Ladybug know who I am?" Asked Adrien. "I mean that Chat is Adrien?"

"No, Dude. She left before you turned into, uh, you. She was going detransform as well, and man, I've never seen Ladybug look scared before. She said she would contact me later. Then she jumped out the window and swung off. It was right after she left that Chat Noir became Adrien Agreste on my couch. I don't think she made it very far, herself." Nino adjusted his hat, nervously.

"So she dumped me with you, and ran off without a backwards glance?" Adrien asked, hurt.

A new voice cut across his pity party. "No, you idiot. Ladybug couldn't just waltz into the hospital carrying you. If anyone had video of Chat Noir getting hurt, it would have completely obvious who she was walking in with. She's too smart for that. The same reason that she can't just come and sit with you right now. She'd kinda stand out, and she wouldn't want to jeopardize your friends and family's safety like that. She cares about you, so she ISN'T here. She left you with a someone she could trust; someone that obvious wasn't Ladybug… sorry, babe" breaking off her rant to look at Nino, she then turned her attention back to Adrien, "She obviously cares about you, and your identity."

Alya took a breath. "Yeah, sorry, I was totally listening at the door. And, yeah, I'm Rena Rouge, so, no, Chat Noir's identity will NOT be showing up on the Ladyblog. And so far, nobody has sent in pictures of you being injured, so we may be in the clear."

With that, she flopped into one of the chairs at the side of Adrien's bed.

Adrien just blinked at her.

Adrien's emotions were swirling; his thoughts caught up in a massive information overload. He was upset and hurt that Ladybug had trusted Alya and Nino with each other's identities, but not him. And WHY had she not shared that information with him? They were two of his best friends! Did Ladybug know that? Did she actually know who he was before this? Is that why she'd dumped him with Nino? Despite Alya's pretty speech, that's still how it felt. Why couldn't she trust him? He always had to beg her for information. He made up his mind to ask her when she visited… IF she visited. He guessed if she knew who he was, she'd visit in her civilian form, and he'd never even know. Alya was right, though. She couldn't just show up as Ladybug. Or could she? They were supposed to be visiting sick kids in a hospital tomorrow. Which one? For that matter… which hospital was he even in? ARGH! He hated not having all the information. What if she…

His thought were cut off by an inhuman sound coming from his pile of personal belongings over in the corner. "Well, now that you have let that cat out of the bag… who is going to get me some cheese?" whined Plagg.


	3. Chapter 3

**These characters do not belong to me. I am simply making them dance to my song! (I sound like I've been akumatized. I haven't, I promise. I'm not asking for any Miraculous… unless, of course, you are offering).**

**I'm going to try to end this chapter with something other than a food reference. No promises, though!**

**The angst did get a bit out of control in this chapter. Now Marinette is the one feeling huge amounts of guilt and having a bit of a meltdown.**

Adrien, Alya and Nino talked late into the afternoon, swapping stories both miraculous and ordinary. Adrien came to learn how the two had been outed to each other by Ladybug on Hero's Day, and the three of them fruitlessly speculated on Ladybug's identity, deciding that she was probably an older student. Of course, any discussion of Ladybug came with the other two teasing Adrien mercilessly about his crush on her, until he cried, gleefully, "See! I told you! It is NOT just a celebrity crush! She does know me, even if she doesn't know my name! Of course, all of Paris knows that I love Ladybug", he added, blushing.

It was during a lull in conversation that there came a soft knock on the door. After being told to enter, Marinette timidly appeared around the door, carrying a large box from her family's Boulangerie/Patisserie. She squeaked and blushed a deep red after realizing Adrien was shirtless (albeit with heavily bandaged ribs). After what seemed to her like forever, but in reality was only a few seconds, Marinette closed the door, tripped over nothing, and lost control over the box of goodies, causing croissants and macarons to rain down upon her friends. The four of them looked at each other and burst out laughing, although the laughed faded quickly when Adrien gasped in pain.

"Oh! I'm s-s-so s-s-sorry!" Stammered Marinette, blushing even redder as Adrien picked a slightly crushed croissant off his head, eyed it, and took a bite.

"It's OK, Marinette. Thank you for stopping by and an extra thank you for bringing such delicious snacks!"

"So, wha-what happened?" Marinette asked. "Nino said you were caught i-i-in the Akuma attack. Did you guys try to go see something? I keep telling Alya it isn't s-safe, and now she's got you guys out there doing it, too?"

The three friends had worked out a cover story for why Adrien was out there, and as much as they hated lying to such a good friend, especially since it somehow seemed worse when they were all in on it, rather than when they were covering for their individual identities.

While Alya huffed in mock outrage at Marinette's accusation, Adrien took as deep a breath as he could and began, "Well, I was over at Nino's house. We were trying to get some homework done, but my father called." He broke off and sighed, wincing slightly. "Well, Nathalie called" he corrected, "and she said my father needed me to come home. The weather was beautiful, so I told my bodyguard to meet me a couple of streets over. Unfortunately the Akuma decided to show up between me and where I was to meet the car. I was caught, and my hiding place must not have been as great as I thought it was. When Ladybug fixed everything," he glanced down at his arm and chest, missing the fact that Marinette flinched and curled in upon herself slightly, "well, almost everything, and I was still hurt, I called Nino. I wasn't sure if my bodyguard had been able to get anywhere near the area. The next thing I remember is waking up here."

Marinette looked immeasurably sad. "So, this is all Ladybug's fault, for not fixing everything."

There was a moment of shocked silence, before 3 voices chorused, "NO!"

"Girl, Ladybug would never have done something like this on purpose! Something must be up with her magic. I'm worried about her. " Added Alya, loyally.

"She's still the reason Adrien's hurt" Marinette said softly, her eyes on the floor, and knees drawn up to her chest. "She should be able to fix what's important. People are important. If she can't even do that, what's the point?"

Three faces with very shocked expressions turned towards Marinette. This was the girl who rarely had a bad word to say about anyone… she was even in favor of giving Queen Bee Chloe a second chance… and here she was dissing Ladybug! While she wasn't a huge fan of superheroes, mostly going along with all the talk because her friends were super fans, she had stood up for Chat Noir whenever she heard him referred to as a sidekick, or the lesser of the two partners.

Adrien recovered his power of speech first. "How can you say that? She defends Paris on a daily basis! She is kind and thoughtful, she would do anything to save someone else, even putting her own life on the line. I don't know why I didn't get healed, but Hawkmoth is to blame. Not Ladybug."

Marinette raised her face from her knees and looked at Adrien, guilt and sorrow warring across her face. She drew in a shaky breath, letting it out on a whispered, "I'm sorry."

After a few more moments of silence, Nino stepped in, effectively breaking the mood with "Dude! What was _with_ that physics homework?" and the four friends chatted about school, friends, and everything else, although the atmosphere in the room was a more subdued one than normal.

It wasn't long before Nino stood up and said that he had to get going. Alya decided that she would walk with him, so the two said their goodbyes and headed home.

Marinette remained for a while longer, and although she was quiet and spent much of her time lost in thought, just her presence was a comfort to Adrien. Eventually, he drifted off to sleep, exhausted from his injuries, the painkillers, and the emotionally draining day of revelations.

When he was truly asleep, Marinette opened her purse and whispered to Tikki, "What was the name of Chat Noir's kwami?

Tikki giggled, "Plagg. Is that why you hid the cheese danishes from your friends?"

At the mention of cheese, Plagg floated out from where he was hiding under Adrien's pillow. "Hello Sugar Cube! You've picked a good one!" He grinned at Marinette.

Marinette smiled back at the Black Cat Kwami floating in front of her… he really was adorable, all black fur and huge green eyes…"They're all yours IF you tell me how he's really doing."

As Plagg talked and munched his way through the bag of baked goods, Marinette was given an idea as to the full extent of his injuries, and she wanted to yell at her Chaton for not being more careful, for so recklessly throwing himself into danger, and for being so infuriatingly stubborn to not admit to, or even slow down when he was hurt. In the end, she did none of those things, simply thanked Plagg, and with promises of more cheesy goodness the next day, Marinette stood to leave.

When Plagg tilted his head and flicked his ears at her quizzically, she explained that she had to stop by Nino's to check on Chat, as she couldn't appear not to care, and Nino didn't know that, in fact, Ladybug HAD spent the last several hours at Chat Noir's side. Plagg mumbled an agreement, and an order to bring more cheese. Marinette gently stroked their heads, both kwami and boy, whispering a final apology, while Tikki blew a kiss to Plagg, and zipped into Marinette's purse.

For the second time that day, Nino looked up at a knock to find Ladybug on his balcony. While her arms were mercifully empty this time, it appeared that the weight of the world still rested on her slight shoulders. Nino offered her a seat, she glanced at the couch, flinched away and selected an armchair instead. Nino sat nervously in the chair net to hers. He wondered a little at the awe that he felt with her just sitting there. Sure, he'd fought alongside her, and she had trusted him with her partner, but this was Ladybug! The hero of superheroes. The other four members of the team (himself, Rena Rouge, Queen Bee, and even Chat Noir) turned to her as their leader. Hers was the only name he didn't know outside of the mask; Chloe having outed herself as Queen Bee from the very beginning. Had Ladybug always been this small?

Ladybug looked up at him. "How is he?" She asked softly.

"As well as can be expected." Nino replied. "He's awake and in good spirits. I spent the afternoon with him. Me and Alya, uh, Rena, did. And Ladybug? There is something I need to tell you. I told Chat how he got there. The real story. Including who I am and why you trusted me. Dude, uh, Bro, uh, Ladybug? I know Chat. Like without the mask. Man, that was something. I knew him as soon as he destransformed. Al-Rena, too. We both told him who we were, and that we knew who he was. I'm sorry. We should have asked you first, but I couldn't deal with knowing who he was, and then lying to him about how he got there. I needed him to know why you trusted me."

Ladybug smiled, but no humor showed in her tired eyes. "I know a little bit about keeping secrets myself. Don't worry, Nino. You did the right thing."

On a sigh, Ladybug stood. "You'll see me tomorrow. Keep Chat company. I'll find you." With that, she stepped out onto the balcony, and swung off into the Paris night.


	4. Chapter 4

**I still own nothing! No Miraculous gifts have shown up at my house over the past few days. This is the final chapter. The final reveal (What? You knew it was coming!) Thank you so much for taking the time to read my first story. (I'm working on more already!)**

The next morning, when Adrien awoke, he went to call for Plagg, only to realize that he wasn't alone. Glancing around, his hospital room, he saw Marinette curled up, fast asleep in the chair next to his bed. He wasn't sure if he remembered or imagined her calling her parents the night before, softly telling them that she didn't want him to be alone. She was frowning slightly, even in sleep, and Adrien's heart swelled, thinking about what great friends he had, making sure that he wouldn't wake on his own in an unfamiliar setting. Stretching experimentally, Adrien realized that he was healing quickly, even without the miraculous cure. Plagg must have had some hand in it, because his arm and his ribs had settled into a dull ache, and he could move without too much pain.

His movements must have disturbed Marinette, because she muttered that it was too early, and shifted position in her chair. At Adrien's low chuckle, however, her eyes flew open and a red blush stained her cheeks. "Y-y-you're awake!" she gasped.

"So are you", he noted.

Marinette's blush deepened, but she steeled herself. This was CHAT. Her kitty. She should NOT be stuttering around him. He'd never let her live it down. Taking a fortifying breath, she met Adrien's eyes. "How are you feeling? Do you need any painkillers? Should I find you a nurse? Do you need a drink? Breakfast?"

Adrien smiled at her. "I'm fine, thank you for being here. It's nice to wake up to a familiar face."

Marinette's eyes flew wide, and her blush returned. He realized what he'd said, and started blushing himself. "I meant having company -a friend- when I'm in a strange place. Not being alone." He hastened to add, shaking his head.

To his surprise, Marinette burst out laughing. "I couldn't let you stay here on your own. It is always better to have a friend. Nino and Alya will be here in a while. I'm expected to be somewhere soon. Is there anything I can do for you before I go?"

"I'll be fine. Will you be coming back with Nino and Alya?"

Marinette looked at the floor for a few moments before squaring her shoulders to respond. "You will see me later" she said, softly, sounding almost sad. She moved the last couple of croissants within his reach, gave him a shy little wave, then slipped from the room.

Left on his own for a few hours, Adrien exchanged texts with many of his classmates, and even spent a few minutes talking on the phone with Chloe, reassuring them all that he was fine, and would be back to normal soon. Lunchtime came and brought Alya and Nino to his room. Alya had overheard the nurses talking about a celebrity guest visiting the hospital, talking to all the kids, signing autographs and taking selfies, and that his floor was next up. Half an hour or so later, a knock came on Adrien's door, and Ladybug stepped in, escorted by a pair of beaming nurses. Throwing an apologetic look at Nino and Alya, and completely unable to meet Adrien's eyes, which didn't waver from her face, she sat on the bed, and awkwardly posed for pictures. Before she was whisked on to the next room, she turned to Alya. "You're the one that runs the Ladyblog, right? I know your friend probably won't want pictures of him like this up on the blog," she smiled sweetly at Adrien, "do you want to take a picture, just me and you?"

As they were posing for the picture, Alya felt a piece of paper being slipped into her hand. After Ladybug, and more importantly, her escorts, had left, Alya unfolded the paper, and read it to her friends. "Keep the window open. I'll be back as soon as I can. I know whose room this is, and I'm sorry."

The three friends looked at each other. How had she figured it out? Was it because she knew Rena Rouge and Carapace's identities? She did know them, so she would also know that Alya and Nino were friends with Adrien, and that it wouldn't be odd for them to visit him. After all, the whole class knew that he was injured, and the three of them already suspected that Ladybug was affiliated with their school.

The afternoon wore on, and Ladybug finished her visits, swinging away from the front entrance to the hospital, only to circle back, once she was out of sight, swinging back to tap on a certain open window. Ladybug lowered herself in, offering the room a weak smiled, before closing her eyes and drawing a deep breath. Ladybug looked her unmasked partner in the eyes for the first time since she learned his who he was. Tentatively, she reached for his good hand and squeezed it. "I am so very, truly sorry. I have talked to Master Fu a few times, and while I want to talk over what happened, there are some things I need to do first. Nino told me that you three talked yesterday, and that you all know each other's identities. That you are able to be there for each other is wonderful, and I am glad you were all friends to begin with. I made your excuses for not visiting the kids, today, Chaton. They believe you are taking care of a very important, top secret mission, that could only be entrusted to you. If there was a way that I could have talked to you before I came to your room, I would have."

None of the others had moved during her speech, although Adrien had flinched when she called him Chaton, even though he knew she'd worked it out.

Hoarsely he asked, "How did you know?"

"Nino told me." Nino spluttered, but she held up her hands and continued, "and Plagg confirmed it." She smiled tiredly, "I bribed him with cheese."

At the mention of his name and cheese in the same sentence, Plagg zipped out of his hiding place and over to Ladybug. "What did you bring me?"

A genuine smiled played at her lips. "Later, Plagg. You know this suit has no pockets", she told him, scratching lightly around his ears.

He purred lightly, and noticing Adrien's somewhat slack jawed stare, he hastily pulled away and grumped at them. "Fine. I guess I'll have to wait then."

"I will tell you the whole story, but there is something I need to do, first."

Ladybug gathered herself and turned to face the part-time superheroes, holding out two hexagonal wooden boxes. "Alya Cesare, here is the miraculous of the fox, which grants the power of illusion, and Nino Lafiffe, here is the miraculous of the turtle, which grants the power of protection. You will use them for the greater good. You will retain them until Chat Noir has recovered completely." With this, she shot a look at Adrien, "And has been cleared for FULL athletic activity BY HIS DOCTORS." She emphasized the last bit, but seeing Adrien's sheepish look, she knew he'd been planning on clearing himself. Turning back to Alya and Nino, Ladybug continued, "Once he is released, you must return the miraculous to me, can I trust you?"

Both friends quickly agreed, Alya fastening the fox necklace around her neck, and Nino placing his miraculous about his wrist. Trixx and Wayzz appeared, warmly greeting their chosen wielders, before zipping off to talk with Plagg.

"Queen Bee also has her miraculous. She was not part of the reveals, and as I am unsure whether she can actually keep quiet about your identities, especially with how she feels about your civilian selves." She glanced at Adrien as he winced, knowing that, while Chloe was enamored with Adrien, she was less fond of Chat Noir, and a sudden switch in her treatment of him would be highly suspicious.

Ladybug continued, "I have informed her that Chat Noir had to be out of town for an undetermined amount of time on a personal matter, which is what I think we should tell any reporters, should they ask.

Alya immediately volunteered to put the word out on the Ladyblog,

"Thank you, Alya." Ladybug sat down in the chair closest to Adrien and held his good hand in both of hers. She told them what had happened, why she had left Chat Noir with Nino (Alya had been pretty much spot-on in her assumptions) and all that she had learned about her miraculous cure from Master Fu. She explained that things never could truly go back to being the same again, no matter how much she might wish it. When she finished, she looked up at Alya, "Actually, I would appreciate it if you could put all this on the Ladyblog, too. I need for people to know that if things are not put back to normal, it is not because I don't care, or that I wouldn't fix things one hundred percent if I could. If this has been happening the entire time, I'm surprised that it has not caused anyone to become akumatized."

Alya immediately agreed, saying that she would write something up, and run it past Ladybug to make sure that she had all the facts straight.

There was a comfortable silence, and the friends all digested the new information they had been given, and what it could mean for the future. Nino was the first to break the silence, hesitating, but then saying, "Ladybug. I've been thinking everything over, and I'm sure that I never told you that my man Adrien here was Cat Noir I was very careful when we spoke to never mention his name to you. I gave no personal details other than the fact that I did know him in real life, but you knew, even before you showed up at the hospital today, didn't you?"

Adrien's eyes shot to Nino's, then over to Ladybug. She scrubbed her hands over her face, then looked at each of her friends in turn, her blue eyes finally coming to rest on Adrien's green ones. She drew her knees up to her chest before squeezing her eyes tight shut, and resting her head on her knees. In a slightly muffled voice, she said, "I'm so sorry. Please don't be disappointed in me. I know that I'm not the hero you wanted, nor the hero you deserve. I never wanted to have to lie to everyone so much." Then, even more softly, "Tikki… spots off."

When the light of her detransformation faded, the three friends stared at the fourth member of their close-knit circle of friends, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, who had yet to raise her head to look at them.

Once again, it was Nino who broke the silence, "Guess you were right. I am the one who told you who Chat Noir was. Although I didn't know I was telling you when I told you." He chuckled, nervously. "But, whoa. We should have known it. I don't know anyone more Ladybug than you, Marinette." He looked sheepish, "I guess that's because you ARE you…uh… I'm gonna stop talking now…" he trailed off, blushing slightly.

Alya just launched herself at her best friend, doing her best to muffle the excited noises that she was making as she realized that her best friend was also her superhero idol. Marinette all but disappeared beneath Alya. "This explains SO MUCH!" Alya cried, laughing. Alya babbled on happily about all the things that suddenly made sense: Marinette's lateness, disappearances, seeming inside knowledge of Akuma battles, and, of course, all the times she staunchly defended and jokingly blew off Chat Noir. She did, after all, know him better than anyone.

Marinette relaxed. These were her friends. They wouldn't hate her for her lies and evasions. They had their own secrets to keep, after all, and understood the need to keep hers. Throughout Alya's enthusiastic ramblings, Marinette's eyes kept coming back to Adrien's. He had yet to utter a word, but simply watched her, smiling softly.

As Alya wound down, Nino stood. "Well, babe, I think it's time for us to get going."

"What! You want to leave NOW?" She looked at Nino, incredulously. He just glanced over at their two friends. Alya looked at Marinette, who was watching Adrien, and then at Adrien, whose eyes were locked onto Marinette. "Oh, um, yeah, we should go. Call me girl… you owe me so many interviews!"

Her statement went unanswered, and the two slipped out of the room, joined by their kwamis, but unnoticed by their friends. After a few more minutes of silent staring, Marinette cleared her throat. "Hello, Kitty."

Adrien's brain finally jumpstarted after what he had seen. "Hi, Bugaboo", he said, his smile growing huge. "Puur-haps if I knew this is what it took for you to tell me who you were, I would have done it long ago."

Marinette just covered her face with her hands and groaned. They talked and joked the rest of the day.

The next morning found them curled together in Adrien's hospital bed, Marinette's head on his good shoulder, arms protectively wrapped around her partner.


End file.
